The Einstein 640, an innovative 640ws monolight from lighting maker Paul C. Buff, is nearing release. Final validation of the electronics is expected to be completed by the end of the week, says company founder Paul Buff. Assuming no last-minute hiccups, pre-ordering is scheduled to commence before the end of this month, with delivery from the company's Nashville, Tennessee-based headquarters to follow in the first half of January 2010.

Initial Einstein 640 shipments from Paul C. Buff Australia are expected to follow the U.S. by approximately two weeks. Buff expects that supply of the new studio flash may be somewhat constrained for roughly the first month of availability, but only slightly.

The optional CSXCV wireless transceiver module (shown poking out of the top of the unit in the renderings above) is expected to be ready to ship at the same time as the Einstein 640. The Cyber Commander control unit is currently on backorder, but should resume shipping shortly, says Buff.

Colour temperature consistency and crisp freezing of motion are the signature features promised for the Einstein 640, which was unveiled in October 2009. Other features include worldwide power compatibility, full power recycle time of 1.7 seconds, 2.5-640ws range in 1/10-stop increments, digital controls and compatibility with the Cyber Commander wireless control system (this requires the optional CSXCV transceiver). More information is in a previous article.